


everyone hail to the pumpkin song

by teacupfulofbrains



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Fluff, Halloween Prompts, Kid!Fic, M/M, Multi, danny phantom!au, festive fall fluff, moxiety dad!au, prompt list taken from sanderssidescelebrations on tumblr, sanders sides spook 2019, thirteen days of halloween
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-19
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-12-23 21:40:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 7,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21088244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/teacupfulofbrains/pseuds/teacupfulofbrains
Summary: this is halloween, this is halloween . . .(OR: thirteen days of halloween-themed sanders sides prompts taken from sanderssidescelebrations on tumblr, mostly set in the universe of my moxiety dad!au)





	1. day one: jumping in leaves (mox!dad!au)

**Author's Note:**

> welcome to my halloween prompts!!!  
these prompts were taken from [@sanderssidescelebrations](https://sanderssidescelebrations.tumblr.com/) on tumblr, and they're crossposted on my tumblr as well!! most of these prompts are set in my [moxiety dad!au](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1362436), so i'll denote in the chapter titles if they are or not!  
also, content warnings will be in the author notes at the beginning of each chapter. none for the first one, though, so enjoy!! : ))))
> 
> the boys are different ages in each chapter, depending on when in the dad!au the chapter is set. for this chapter, thomas is 11, roman is 8, and logan is 6

“Can we jump in the leaves, Papa, _ please_?” Roman begs, tugging eagerly at the hem of Virgil’s purple plaid jacket. He smiles, ruffling his middle son’s hair. 

“You want to jump in the leaves, little prince? Have you finished all your homework?” Roman pouts at him, but still nods, bouncing up and down on his toes. 

“Yep! I did my math worksheet and I did my English workbook and I did my social studies flashcards! I’m just waiting for Daddy to check it all over, he said he would do it after dinner, so can we _ please _ go jump in the leaves?” 

“If you go play in the leaves, you have to get a shower tonight. I don’t want any complaining, okay?” 

“Okay, Papa!” 

“Really?” Virgil teases. “Do you _ pinky _ promise, Ro?” Roman nods, solemnly holding his little pinky out to make the promise. It’s adorable how seriously he takes the pinky promises. Virgil reaches out and carefully links his finger with his son’s. 

“_Yay!_” Roman cheers. 

“Go ask your brothers if they’d like to play, too, okay?” 

“_Looooooogaaaaaaaan!_” Roman shouts. Logan looks up from the kitchen table, where he’s hard at work copying a star map out of one of his library books. 

“Why are you shouting, Ro? I can hear you.” 

“We’re going outside to play in the leaves! Get your shoes on!” Without waiting for an answer, Roman tears off up the stairs, shouting for Thomas the whole way. Logan looks back at his star map, swinging his little legs over the edge of the kitchen chair. 

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Lo,” Virgil says gently. 

“Ro will be dis-a-pointed if I stay inside,” Logan says quietly. “He doesn’t like it when I don’t come play with him, he gets excited when we all play together.” 

“Yeah, but he doesn’t want you to be uncomfortable, either. If you don’t want to play, you don’t have to.” 

Roman comes thundering down the stairs, skidding into the kitchen. “Logan, why don’t you have your shoes on?” 

“If your brother doesn’t want to go outside, he doesn’t have to,” Virgil says softly. Roman frowns, but Logan scoots his chair back and hops down before he can say anything. 

“I’ll go outside. I can bring my star book with me and look at the pictures on the porch. That way we can all be outside together and you won’t be sad.” Roman grins, almost running forward to grab Logan in a hug before he remembers. 

“Can I give you a hug, Lo?” 

Logan blinks at him. “Twelve seconds, not too tight?” 

Roman nods, letting Logan set his book down and hold his arms out before he hurries forward to hug him. Logan gently pats at Roman’s back, and Virgil sneakily snaps a photo for Patton. Thomas enters the kitchen still tugging his hoodie on and stamping his feet into his sneakers. 

“Papa, will you help me with the snaps on my jacket?” Logan asks as they all head to the coat closet. “And should I wear my tall rain boots?” 

“I will, little astronaut,” Virgil says. “You don’t have to, but the grass might be a little wet since it’s autumn. I know you don’t like when your socks are wet, and if you wear your sneakers it might seep in.” 

“Okay, Papa. I’ll wear my rain boots.” 

Virgil spends two hours raking leaves in the front yard. Logan sits on the porch and reads his book while Roman and Thomas “help” by picking the leaves up by hand and dropping them into the pile. They finally finish just as Patton’s car pulls into the driveway, and Virgil kisses his husband hello as all three of their sons leap into the leaf pile. 

“Did Ro finish his work?” Patton asks, smiling fondly. 

“Yeah, he did. He’s waiting on you to check it.”

“You know you’re gonna have to redo that entire leaf pile tomorrow, right?” 

“Yeah, I know. To be perfectly honest, I didn’t try that hard to get all the leaves. I just wanted the boys to have a good jumping pile.”   
Patton kisses him. “You’re so good to them, Vee.” 

Virgil grins, cheeks flushed from slight embarrassment and the chill in the air. 


	2. day two: fall baking (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: brief mention of injury and chef's knives 
> 
> thomas is nine, roman is six, and logan is four

“I wanna help too!” Roman shrieks, waving his little arms. He kicks his legs furiously, letting them bang against the cabinets from where he sits perched on the counter. 

Patton smiles, gently booping Roman’s nose with a finger covered in flour. “I know you do, pumpkin. But Daddy can’t let you help with the apple pie because he has to cut the apples up with sharp knives. He doesn’t want you to get hurt!” 

“But I wanna _ help_, Daddy!” 

“Yeah, Daddy, he wants to help,” Virgil parrots, entering the kitchen with Logan balanced on his hip and Thomas at his side. “He’s right, though, little prince. We don’t want you to hurt your fingers.” 

“Like a paper cut?” Roman asks, tilting his head to the side adorably. 

“Sort of, kiddo. But this would hurt a lot more than a paper cut. We might have to take you to the hospital.” 

“But Daddy goes to the hopsital every day!” 

“Daddy goes to the hospital to work, sweetpea,” Patton says. “If you went to the hospital with a cut, it would be because you were hurt really bad. Daddy and Papa don’t want that.” 

“Okay, Daddy,” Roman pouts. “But I still wanna help!” 

“As it happens,” Virgil says, “Papa happens to have the perfect solution for this. Can I put you down, Lo-Berry?” 

Logan nods, slipping his thumb in his mouth as Virgil gently sets him in a kitchen chair. He pulls the fridge open and produces two brightly colored packages - one purple and covered in ghosts, one orange and covered in pumpkins. 

“Pillsbury Halloween cookies?” Patton says, trying to suppress a smirk at Virgil’s indignant expression. “Virgil, it’s only October -”

“Halloween lasts all month long, first of all. And second of all, these are _ delicious_.”

“They’re pure sugar.”

“Your point?” 

“I seem to remember _ someone _ eating too many in college and being sick for two days straight.” 

Virgil levels Patton with an unimpressed stare. “That was you, Pat.” 

Patton blushes. “That’s not the _ point _ -”

“Don’t worry, Pat. These aren’t actually for our family. Lo-Berry here has to take a Halloween treat into preschool tomorrow, so we’re going to make these cookies for his class! He picked them out himself, right sweetie?” 

“Mmm-hmmm. Teacher says nothin’ with nuts or peanut butter cause ‘a allergies, so I picked these,” Logan says. “We’re gonna put one ghost an’ one pumpkin in every bag.” 

“Yeah, Pat, that’s what we’re gonna do,” Virgil smiles. 

“An’ - an’ - an’ - an’ we got purple an’ orange ribbons, too,” Logan says, waving his hands around excitedly. “An’ Papa says we can tie the ribbons around the bags so they look pretty for Halloween!” 

“I think that’s a splendid idea, Lolo,” Patton coos, leaning over to kiss Logan’s forehead. “Can Roman help you with the cookies?” 

“Roman can help Papa break the cookies apart into pieces, cause I don’t like the way it feels cause - cause it’s sticky an’ - an’ I feel it on my fingers even though I wash my hands a lot,” Logan says. “I just wanna push the buttons.” 

“He means preheating the oven and setting the timer,” Virgil stage whispers. Patton smiles knowingly and steps aside to let Virgil hold Logan over the oven. 

“Ro, can you read the numbers on the back?” 

“Four-two-five!” Roman chirps, holding the package tightly. Virgil turns the oven on, and Logan pokes at the buttons that Virgil tells him to. 

Patton smiles, picking up his apple knife again.


	3. day three: trick or treat (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is dedicated to [@fangirltothefullest](https://fangirltothefullest.tumblr.com/) on tumblr 
> 
> happy birthday, tashi!!! 
> 
> cw: none!! 
> 
> thomas is 11, roman is 8, logan is 6)

“Is everybody ready to go?” Patton asks, smoothing down the flowy pink material of his dress. He adjusts the curly golden wig so that it’s not falling off his head, pressing his lips together to smooth out the lipstick he’s wearing. “Where’s my Prince Philip?” 

“Pat, do we have to?”

“You said we could dress up this year to take the boys trick or treating!” Patton says. “Come on, let me see!” 

There’s a lot of shuffling and huffing before Virgil steps out of the bathroom, fidgeting awkwardly with his cape. “You did _ not _ specify that I would have to wear _ tights_,” he grumbles. Patton glides across the kitchen floor and kisses his cheek, smiling at the lipstick mark he leaves on Virgil’s face. Virgil awkwardly scrubs at it with his hand. 

“But you look so _ handsome _ in them,” Patton giggles. He pushes up on his tip-toes to whisper in Virgil’s ear. “Especially your ass.” Virgil squawks as Patton pushes through the kitchen into the living room. “Boys!” 

Logan looks up at him from where he’s sitting on the couch holding a plastic orange pumpkin. He’s wearing a black bodysuit that Patton had splatter-painted with white paint to represent stars. Logan had then taken pink and purple and blue paint and carefully sponged it on in little swirling galaxies and nebulas all over. “Yes, Daddy?” 

“Are you all ready to go, my little universe?” 

“Yes,” Logan says, nodding. “But I don’t know if Roman and Thomas are.” 

“I’m coming!” Roman shouts, running down the stairs. He’s wearing a white outfit with brown boots, gold epaulettes, a bright red sash, and gold trim. There are shield-shaped patches on his arms, a plastic crown on a headband on his head, and a paper-towel-tube sword in his hand. He’s carrying a plastic red pumpkin in the other hand. 

“I’m ready for candy, Daddy! Are we gonna get a lot of candy?” 

“I’m sure you will, sweetheart! But remember, you can’t eat all of it tonight, because you’ll get sick,” Patton cautions. 

“I know!” 

“Tommy!” Patton calls. “Are you coming, honey?” 

“I’m coming, Daddy!” 

Thomas comes downstairs five minutes later, clutching a plastic green pumpkin. He’s wearing a red shirt with a yellow five-pointed star on it and jeans, and his hair is tousled into a wild nest of curls. “Let me see your tummy, _ Steven_,” Patton smiles. Thomas lifts his shirt to reveal a pink circle painted on his stomach with a pentagon painstakingly traced in black. “You used the special body paint I gave you, right?” 

“Yeah, Dad, I used the washable paint,” Thomas says, putting his shirt down. “And I didn’t get it all over the place, and I put the lid on super tight when I was done.” 

“Good boy,” Patton praises, kissing his head. “Is everybody ready to go out with Papa?” 

“You’re not coming, Dad?” Roman asks, tilting his head. Patton shakes his head. 

“If I go trick-or-treating, who’s going to stay here and pass out candy to everyone else? You three are gonna go out around our neighborhood with Papa, and then you’ll stop off back here.” 

“I thought I was going to the next neighborhood over with Joan,” Thomas says. “Auntie Susan said she’d take us.” 

“She did, but that neighborhood’s trick-or-treat doesn’t start until 8:30. So you can go around with your Papa and brothers, and then once Papa drops Logan and Roman off here, Mrs. Stokes and Joan will pick you up.”

“No fair! Tommy’s gonna get more candy than me!” Roman pouts. “I wanna go with him!” 

“If you’re not exhausted by the end of trick-or-treating, you can go,” Patton says. 

(By the time Virgil drops a very sleepy Logan off at home around 8:15, Roman is still going strong, although Patton suspects it’s a sugar high. And sure enough, when Mrs. Stokes brings Thomas home, Roman is sleepily stumbling along after his big brother. It’s too adorable for Patton to be really mad at.) 


	4. day four: ghost!side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is not a moxiety!dad!au prompt. instead, it's a danny phantom au! 
> 
> cw: brief mentions of death/dying (no one is actually dead), cartoon violence

“This is illogical and impractical,” Logan grumbles, tightening his grip on Patton’s wrist as he sprints through the crowd. “The police are surely better suited for this than I am.”

“The police won’t even acknowledge the _existence _ of ghosts!” Roman says, easily keeping pace with him. “What makes you think they’re gonna be able to handle taking one down?”

“I still refuse to shout nonsense,” Logan says. “Right!” 

All three of them make a sharp right and duck into an alleyway between two businesses, going the extra mile and hiding behind a dumpster. “It’s part of your _ thing_!” 

“It is not part of my _ thing_. My _ thing _ is that my parents’ ridiculous machine _ killed _ me and then I _ somehow did not die_, and you insist that this makes me a _ superhero _ somehow.” 

“It does!” Roman insists. 

“Roman, I barely have the control necessary to avoid phasing right through my chair at breakfast and drawing the suspicion of Virgil and my parents. What the _ fuck _ makes you think that I’m capable of fighting off an evil ghost?” 

“Language!” Patton reprimands. “And we believe in you, Lo! We always have! You’re super smart, and you always know exactly what to do!” 

Logan sighs. “What if I do not know exactly what to do? What if I get someone _ else _ killed? What - what if I get one of _ you _ killed?” 

Patton gently touches his cheek. “You’re not gonna get us killed, Lo. We have weapons of our own, remember? We’re going to be your backup, but we’re not going to get ourselves killed. Don’t worry. You’re gonna save the city, and we’re gonna help you.” 

Roman pulls the ghost-hunting thermos out of his backpack, tossing one to Patton before offering one to Logan. “It’s gonna be okay, Logan.” 

Logan stares at the thermos for a moment before smiling and taking it. “Okay. Okay, you’re right. I’m still not going to say the stupid catchphrase, though.” 

Roman’s indignant squawk rings in his ears as he transforms. The glowing white rings wrap around his waist, his wrists, his thighs, and move along his body. His tie and polo melt into the bodysuit he’d been wearing when he stepped into the portal, and he feels the electric tingle of his hair turning white, his irises changing from dark brown to glowing green. 

Logan pushes off of the ground, feeling his legs dissolve into one long tail as he flies up into the sky. He inhales the crisp air, and he knows that any normal person would get lightheaded with the limited oxygen available up here. 

Logan just feels invigorated. 

He can see the ghost from up here, a huge, neon green boar with garish orange tusks. It’s rampaging down Main street, shrieking as it tosses cars aside like toys. He slings the thermos around his body like a messenger bag and dives. 

Patton and Roman are sprinting along the sides of the road, one on each side. They each have a Picani-Brand Plasma Ray in their hands, and they’re cowering behind cars and poking out to shoot at the boar before sprinting to the next car in line. They’re not really hurting the boar, but they are agitating it. 

Perfect. 

He reaches deep into the core of his being, feeling the coldness that lurks around his core. Instead of suppressing it, he lets it flow into him, feeling it travel down his arms and concentrate in his palms. 

“Duck and cover!” he shouts, throwing his hands forward. An icy blue beam shoots out from his hands and pierces straight through the boar, throwing it off balance. While it’s distracted, Logan quickly coats its hooves in ice to freeze it in one place. 

“Patton, now!” 

Patton springs out from behind the car and fires his thermos at the ghost. It shrieks and howls in rage as the thermos vacuums it up, but it can’t escape the net. Patton slams the lid down and Roman whoops victoriously. “We did it!” 

Logan’s tail splits into legs again as he lands on the street. He considers turning intangible as Patton and Roman charge him for hugs, but doesn’t. They laugh and hug him, and Logan allows himself to smile and hug them back. 

“_Logan?!_” 

Logan’s eyes fly wide open, and he yanks away from his friends. Virgil is standing on the sidewalk, eyes wide, mouth agape. 

“Well, shit.” 


	5. day five: ghost stories (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: mentions of toy abandonment, mention of curses, mentions of the pokemon banette and its backstory 
> 
> thomas is 15, roman is 12, logan is 10

“This is stupid.” 

“Don’t call it stupid!” Roman argues.

“We are telling stories with the express purpose of, to use your terms, ‘frightening the shit out of each other.’ How, precisely, is this not stupid?” 

“It’s fun! It’s what you _ do _ on Halloween!” 

“Says who? Where is your evidence?” 

“Stop fighting!” Thomas calls from the kitchen. “Or I’m gonna eat this entire pot of mac and cheese myself and I won’t save you any at all!” 

“You will not do that, Thomas, because you will get sick,” Logan says, but he still pokes his tongue out at Roman and leaves to end the argument. Roman smirks; Thomas knows just as well as he does that Logan is easily bribed when food he likes is involved. 

“I bet,” Roman says, as they all sit down to dinner, “that you just don’t wanna tell scary stories because you don’t think you can tell a good one.” 

Logan shoves a spoonful of mac and cheese into his mouth. “Lo, it’s too hot!” Thomas admonishes. Logan just blinks, chewing slowly and swallowing twice before he answers. 

“I can tell a scary story just as well as you, Roman.” 

“Prove it!” 

Logan narrows his eyes. “Once upon a time, there was a little girl who had a favorite doll. She loved this doll more than anything in the entire world, and she carried it with her everywhere. One day, when she was growing up, her mother came to her room and told her to clean up. She told her daughter that she had to get rid of all of her childish things. So the girl threw away her doll. 

“The doll laid in a garbage dump for many months. One night, the full moon rose, and as it rose its light fell on the discarded doll. The magic of the full moon brought the doll to life, and it immediately made its way back to the girl who had abandoned it. When it made its way back to her house, it found that she had moved away with her family. The doll was furious at its abandonment, and it swore that it would never rest until it found her and laid a curse on her. 

“They say that the doll still wanders around to this day, and that every time it finds a happy child it curses them in place of that little girl who so cruelly abandoned it.” 

Roman stares, spoon resting halfway to his open mouth. “Damn, Lo, that was . . . what the fuck?!” 

Logan shrugs, continuing to eat his dinner. “I told you that I could be scary.” 

Twenty minutes later, Thomas’s bedroom door slams open. “Logan! You literally just retold the Pokédex entry for Banette, what the hell?!” 

“You didn’t say it had to be an _original_ scary story,” Logan smirks, already running for cover. 


	6. day six: haunted house

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not set in the moxiety dad!au! 
> 
> cw: mentions of death, ghosts, temper tantrums

“This really isn’t necessary. You know that, right?” 

Roman raises an eyebrow at the Shakespeare compilation that’s floating in the middle of his living room. “I get that you’re pissed that I rearranged your brooding room, but this is my house! I need to use my attic to store shit, Vee!” 

The book goes sailing towards his head. He barely manages to dodge it. “Hey! You’re gonna give me a concussion!” Another book floats into the air, and Roman wisely ducks out of the library. He makes his way down to the kitchen, sighing. 

“I swear, he’s incorrigible!” 

There’s a bowl hovering in the kitchen, wooden spoon stirring it around. When Roman slumps at the kitchen table, the bowl floats over in front of him, spoon lifting up and moving towards him. Roman smiles, swiping his finger along the wooden spoon and sticking it in his mouth. “It tastes great, Pat. Keep up the good work, okay?” 

The spoon wiggles gleefully before sinking back into the bowl and continuing to stir. Roman reaches down into the bag at his feet and lifts up a pale gray cardigan with a cat hood. He ties it around his shoulders, and when he opens his eyes again he can see a young man with a blue polo stirring the cookie dough and hear him humming. 

“Hey, Pat.” 

“Roman! You can hear me again - hello, kiddo!” 

“Virgil’s brooding in the library again.” 

“Oh, I’m sorry, kiddo! I tried to talk to him, I did, but he’s just not listening!” 

“Yeah, and he went and hid his fuuuuuureakin’ hoodie from me so I can’t even talk to him! Well, I mean, I can talk _ at _ him, but he can’t answer me.” 

Patton smiles. “I’m sorry, Ro. I wish I could help, but I don’t know where his hoodie is, either. Maybe ask Logan? I know his tie’s in the bedroom!” 

“Okay, I will. Thanks, Pat.” 

Roman keeps the cat cardigan tied around his shoulders as he heads upstairs to his bedroom. He walks past the library, which still has the sounds of a ghostly temper tantrum emanating from it, and pokes his head into the bedroom. “Lo? You in here?” 

There’s a flicker near the window, and Roman spots a dark blue striped tie coiled on his pillow. He quickly scoops it up and ties it around his upper arm, and Logan shimmers into view. “Hello, Roman. I assume you’re looking for Virgil’s hoodie?”

“Yeah. He’s pitching a shit fit in the library because I fucked with the attic and I’d really appreciate it if he knocked it the fuck off.” 

“I know that he hid the hoodie so that you could not find it and force him to communicate, but I am afraid I do not know where it is. Would you like me to talk to him and attempt to negotiate a peace?” 

“Pat already tried and apparently failed, but if you want to go right ahead,” Roman sighs. Logan floats over to the doorway, and Roman follows him up to the library. The second he opens the door, a book goes sailing at his head, and he quickly ducks. 

“Virgil, please refrain from hurling books at Roman,” Logan says dryly. There’s a shrieking howl that sounds like nails scraping down a chalkboard. “Yes, I _ know _ you are upset, but you cannot kill him.” 

“He wants to kill me?!” Roman yelps. 

More shrieking. “Virgil, I am sure that if you let Roman talk to you, then you will be able to work things out.” 

Something else comes flying at Roman, and he ducks. Virgil’s hoodie drops to the floor in a heap, and Roman quickly snatches it up and ties it around his waist. Virgil pops into existence, a cloud of dark purple and black smoke around him. “Vee?” 

“You moved the chair,” Virgil grumbles. “You moved your _ chair_, and now I can’t haunt like I normally do because you’re _ blocking my path_, you _ asshole_.” 

“And so your response to that was to throw a shit fit in my library instead of telling me so I could move the chair back where it was?” 

“What do you want from me?” Virgil hisses. Roman smiles, pushing the armchair back to its original position. The cloud of smoke around Virgil begins to dissipate as he floats over to settle near the window. “Perfect.” 

Roman rolls his eyes, smiling. 


	7. day seven: ghost hunting (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: mentions of graveyards and ghosts
> 
> thomas is 16, roman is 13, logan is 11

“This is a terrible idea.” 

“It is not! Stop whining!” 

“I am going to turn this car around, so help me God,” Joan threatens, sighing. “Thomas, remind me why we agreed to this?” 

“Because Papa and Dad said that the condition of borrowing the car was that we take Lo and Ro with us,” Thomas says. He twists around from the passenger seat to glare at his brothers. “Joan’s right, though. We’re gonna take you home if you don’t stop fighting all the time.” 

Roman and Logan settle down in the backseat, still flashing the occasional glare at each other and mumbling. Thomas chooses to ignore it, directing Joan to take a left out of town. “You know where we’re going, right?” 

“I have Google Maps on my phone, we’re fine. You want the next right up here, on Fairfield.” 

Joan spins the steering wheel easily with one hand. “Remind me again why we’re humoring your crazy little brothers?” 

Thomas stares out the window and mumbles something. 

“What?” 

“Because I lost a bet.” 

“What bet did you lose to an eleven year old?” 

“I bet him that he couldn’t beat me in a game. And then he beat me.” 

“What game? Was it, like, chess or Trivial Pursuit or something?” 

Thomas blushes. “No, it was . . . uh . . .”

“It was Card Jitsu on Club Penguin Rewritten,” Logan chimes in. “Roman has convinced me to begin playing in my ‘down time’ as a relaxation method. Thomas challenged me to one of these minigames, and I beat him because my predictive thinking is superior to his.” 

“Are you sure that he’s not secretly a thirty-year-old?” 

“I’m sure,” Thomas sighs. “Dad and Papa have plenty of proof that he’s really a kid.” 

Joan pulls into the parking lot of the cemetery, shifting the car into park. “Alright, idiots, are you sure you wanna do this?” 

“Roman wants to do this,” Logan says. “I’m coming along to make sure that he doesn’t die. Also for scientific proof that ghosts aren’t real so that he’ll finally stop bothering me about it.” 

“I’m going to prove you wrong!” Roman screeches. 

“Do we have to go wandering through the graveyard too?” Joan says, shivering a little. “Cause I really don’t want to go traipsing through the graveyard.” 

“Listen, I brought my textbook for Anderson’s history test tomorrow and I’m staying here in the car and studying,” Thomas says. “They can go do whatever the fuck they want. And this is a pretty small graveyard, we can see clear across to the other side.” 

“Okay.” 

“Roman, make sure you keep Logan with you the whole time, okay? Don’t vandalize any graves, don’t knock stuff over, and don’t do anything stupid.” 

“I promise I will keep Roman from doing stupid things,” Logan says. Roman squawks in offense and swipes at Logan, who quickly ducks out of the car and sprints through the graveyard. 

“They’re gonna be okay, right?” Joan asks. Thomas sighs, opening his textbook.    
“Yeah, they’re gonna be fine.” 


	8. day eight: sunsets in sweaters (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: brief alcohol mention
> 
> thomas is 10, roman is 7, logan is 5

“Remind me of the rules again, boys?” 

“We have to stay in the front yard,” Thomas says, holding Logan’s hand. “We can’t go into the side yards unless we come all the way to the back yard. We can stay outside until the street lamps come on, and then we gotta come through and tell you to let you know that we came in. Um . . .”

“Stay outta the street!” Roman choruses, bouncing eagerly. His sneakers squeak against the tile of the kitchen floor, and Logan whines. Roman quickly moves to the carpeted living room floor so that his shoes won’t make the noise anymore. 

“Good boys,” Patton says, kissing their heads. “Go on now, go play. Keep an eye on Logan!” 

He watches his sons burst out the front door, laughing, and turns back to his husband. Virgil is carrying two mugs of steaming mulled wine - one shaped like a pumpkin, one shaped like a round little ghost. “Shall we?” 

“We shall,” Patton hums, happily taking his mug and following his husband out onto the back patio. Virgil is wearing a hand-knit sweater that Patton made for him when they were in college. It’s caramel brown, with orange fabric leaves embroidered onto it. Patton himself is wearing a sky-blue cardigan covered in little bats. 

“This is my favorite holiday tradition,” Virgil sighs, settling onto their back porch swing. 

“You just like that you get to drink,” Patton says, elbowing him in the ribs. 

“Hey! That’s not true,” Virgil laughs. “You do make a mean mulled wine, though.” 

Patton sips at his mug, giggling and wiggling his toes and letting the drink warm him all over. “So if the alcohol’s not the reason you love this tradition, then what is?” 

“You,” Virgil says simply. “I love watching the sunsets with you. When it sinks down near the horizon, it gets all golden orangey and pretty and it reminds me of your hair, and - and your eyes are the same color as the leaves when the sun shines through them, and when it gets a little nippy you’ll snuggle up real close to me and press your cold nose into my neck and it always makes me shiver but I love it and -”

Patton cuts him off with a kiss, barely managing to avoid spilling their drinks all over them. “Romantic sap,” he says, breath making Virgil’s eyelashes twitch. 

“Only for you, my dearest.” 


	9. day nine: friday the thirteenth (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: brief mentions of fear and bad luck 
> 
> thomas is 10, roman is 7, logan is 5

Virgil nervously checks the date on the calendar, which is circled in bright red marker. He hate hate _hates _ Friday the thirteenth; he always has. Soft humming noises float in from the other room, and he takes a deep breath. Inhale for four, hold for seven, exhale for eight. It’s going to be okay. He has a plan, after all. 

Steeling his courage, he heads into the living room. Logan is laying on his stomach, happily pushing together star-shaped blocks to recreate the constellations from the library book open next to him. “Hey, little astronaut.” 

“Papa!” Logan squeals, sitting up. “Look, look what I did! I made a con-sell-ta-tion!”

“You certainly did, Lo! You made a _ constellation_!” Virgil is careful to slowly and clearly enunciate as he says the word correctly. “I’m so proud of you! But I have a favor to ask of you, okay?”

“What?” 

“Can I have a biiiiiig hug? The biggest, tightest, squeeziest hug you can possibly give me?” 

Logan tips his head to the side. “Why? Is Papa havin’ a bad day? Do you need cuddles?” 

“It hasn’t been a bad day yet, little astronaut, but I’m worried that it might be. So I’m getting all my hugs now, and hopefully it’ll turn out to be a good day after all! Can you help me?” 

Logan grins at him, pushing his slightly-oversized glasses up into place. “Yes, Papa!” 

Virgil kneels down, and Logan throws his arms around his neck. He hugs Virgil tightly, hiding his tiny face in Virgil’s shoulder and saying “Squeeeeeeze!” 

“Thanks, Lolo.” 

“Do you feel better now, Papa?” 

“Yes, Lo, I do. Thank you so much for helping me!” 

Logan smiles at him before going back to his puzzle. Virgil ruffles his hair and heads for the kitchen. Roman is coloring at the table, and Thomas is eating apple slices from the communal plate. “Hello, boys.” 

“Hi, Papa!” 

“Can I have a hug from each of you?” 

Roman happily sets his crayons down and almost tackles Virgil in a hug. “Of course, Papa! Always wanna hug you!” Thomas shoves the remainder of an apple slice into his mouth and hops down, neatly fitting himself into Virgil’s arms once Roman goes back to his coloring book. He presses a little kiss to Virgil’s cheek. 

“Love you, Papa.” 

“Oh, I love you too, Tommy,” Virgil coos softly. He stands up once Thomas goes back to the table. Three down, one to go. 

Patton is in the basement, shaking out clothes and loading them into the dryer. “Vee?” 

“Hey, Pat. Y’know what day it is?” 

Patton giggles. “Let me guess. Friday the thirteenth?” 

“Yeah,” he says softly. “I’ve gotten them from all the boys, I’m just waiting for you . . .”

Patton smiles. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ve got you.” 

He presses a kiss to Virgil’s forehead, then his nose, then his cheeks, and then finally his mouth. “Take love and luck with you, and travel safely this Friday the thirteenth,” he says seriously. 

“Thanks, Patty. I know you don’t believe in these kinds of superstitions and stuff, but I -”

“It’s fine, Virgil. It makes you feel better, and that’s all that matters to me.” 

Patton gives him one more kiss for luck before he turns back to the laundry.


	10. day 10: dragon witch (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: children pretending to "slay" a "monster" 
> 
> thomas is 9, roman is 6, logan is 4

“ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAR!” 

Virgil grins, baring his plastic fangs at his sons. Roman giggles, waving his paper-towel sword. 

“Unhand the queen and princess!” 

Patton smiles, sitting on the couch in a lopsided paper crown. Logan is on his lap, chewing on a rubber star toy and looking up at his dad with confusion. “Never!” Virgil roars. “They’re mine now!” 

“Foul dragon witch!” Roman shouts. “I’m gonna defeat you an’ save the queen an’ princess!” 

“I’d like to see you try!” Virgil laughs, picking up a couch cushion and “hurling” it at his sons. “Fire breath!” 

Roman and Thomas squeal and dive to the floor to avoid the couch cushion. Virgil roars again, pushing the blanket cape behind him. “I’m gonna get you, knights!” 

“No you’re not!” Roman laughs, sticking his tongue out. “Thomas, we gotta charge! Now!” 

Thomas picks up the cushion that Virgil threw. “_Fireproof Dragon Witch Shield, activate!_” He and Roman charge at their papa. Roman bonks him on the head with the paper towel tube and Thomas shoves the cushion into his face. 

“Nooooooo!” Virgil roars, collapsing to the ground in a head as Roman throws himself onto the couch. He happily kisses Patton’s cheek and pats Logan’s head. 

“Don’t be scared, queen Daddy and princess Logan! We’re here to save you!” 

“My little heroes!” Patton praises, leaning down to kiss his forehead. Roman grins. 

“Now we gotta break the dragon witch’s curse! Ready, Thomas?” 

“Ready!” Thomas squirms all over Virgil, covering his face in kisses. Roman quickly joins him, and Virgil laughs and giggles and holds them close. “We’re gonna cure you of your dragon witch curse!” 

Virgil lets them shower him in kisses before sitting up, spitting out his plastic fangs, and gathering them into a hug. “You did it! You saved me from the curse of the dragon witch!”

“King Papa is back!” Roman cheers, looking at Patton. Patton smiles proudly at him, kissing Logan’s head. 


	11. day eleven: couple's costumes (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> cw: sympathetic deceit (his name is dolos!) 
> 
> thomas is 20 (he’s not in this one though), roman is 17, logan is 15! 
> 
> roman and dolos are in a romantic relationship. logan is in a queerplatonic partnership with emile and remy, who are in a romantic relationship with each other

“I still do not see why this applies to me,” Logan grumbles. 

“Because the Halloween Dance is this week!” Roman says, dragging his brother along the street towards the coffee shop. “And we have the chance to enter the costume contest as a group! So we should _ definitely _ enter with our partners so that we can flaunt how in _ love _ we are!” 

“I’m not in love,” Logan says resolutely. “I am aromantic and asexual. Remy and Emile may choose to label each other as ‘boyfriends,’ but I prefer the term ‘queerplatonic partner’ for them and they for me. They understand that I am not romantically involved in our relationship.” 

“Yeah, but that’s not the point!” Roman laughs. “The point is that you’re dressing up with your partners!” 

“I will breach the subject with them and see how they feel.” 

Roman pushes the door open and grins when he spots a table in the corner. Dolos rolls easily to his feet and strides over to greet them. He pulls Roman into his arms and kisses his cheek. “Hey, babe. Hey, Lo.” 

“Hello, Dolos.” 

“Sweetheart!” Roman laughs. Dolos looks at Logan and raises an eyebrow, eyes flickering to his ear. Logan nods, and Dolos reaches up to just behind Logan’s ear. “What are you doing?” 

“Logan agreed to hold onto something for me,” Dolos says. He snaps his fingers near Logan’s ear (but not too loudly) and pulls back with a red rose in his hand. “A gift, for you.” 

Roman squeals, blushing madly as Dolos tucks the rose behind his ear. “Dee! You shouldn’t have!” 

“But I did,” Dolos says, offering a smooth grin and winding an arm around Roman’s waist. Logan steps away from his brother and boyfriend being mushy and steps to the other side of the booth. Remy lowers his shades and grins. 

“Hey there, Lo!” Emile, sitting next to him in a pretty burnt-orange sweater and brown skirt, springs up to his feet and reaches a hand out to Logan. 

“Are hugs okay?” 

“Yes, but not too tight,” Logan says, unable to help the smile that creeps across his face. He gently nuzzles into Emile’s neck when he’s hugged. 

“Can I kiss your cheek?” 

“Not if you’re wearing lipstick that will smear. Otherwise, yes.” 

Emile lightly kisses his cheek before pulling him towards the booth and letting him slide in to sit between himself and Remy. Remy lets an arm rest along the back of the booth, gently touching Logan’s and Emile’s shoulders. “Still okay?” 

“Still okay.” 

“You guys should totally do a couple’s costume for the contest at the dance this weekend!” Roman says, sliding into the other bench with Dolos’s arm still securely around his waist. “I’m trying to convince Lo, but he won’t do it!” 

“And I have explained to you, multiple times, that Remy, Emile, and myself are not a couple. They are engaged in a romantic partnership, but my participation here has no romantic or sexual component.” 

“Actually,” Remy says, “Emi and I have been thinking about that. We think we have an idea for a costume that could work for all three of us. You’ve read Harry Potter, right Lo?” 

“I have indeed.” 

“Well, what if we go as the Golden Trio? I’ll be Ron, ‘cause I have the freckles, and Emi’ll be Hermione, ‘cause he wears skirts the most, and you’ll be Harry ‘cause you wear glasses! Hermione and Ron are dating each other, but not Harry, so that way it’s a couples’ costume for Emi and I and not a _ romantic _ couple’s costume for the three of us!” 

Logan blinks. “You . . . have put great care into this, haven’t you?” 

“Yep! We didn’t want you to be left out of our costume plans, but we also didn’t wanna make you uncomfortable by having you be part of a romantic costume.” 

Logan’s cheeks turn pale pink. “That . . . I am truly touched, both of you. Thank you so much. That is - I - I am so happy!” 

He gently leans his head on Remy’s shoulder, feeling a light kiss on the crown of his head as Roman and Dolos eagerly begin to discuss their own costume idea.


	12. day twelve: monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not set in the moxiety dad!au
> 
> cw: mentions of being trapped 
> 
> roman is a tengu, logan is a human witch, patton is a ghost, virgil is a werewolf

“Logan!” 

The witch looks up from his spellbook, wand tucked behind his ear and half-written spell glyph in the air in front of him. “Yes, Roman?” 

“I need help!” 

Logan tilts his head. “Immediate help or -”

“_Now_, Lo!” 

Logan carefully slashes through his spell to diffuse the energy and scrambles for the other room. “What happened?” 

Roman is on the floor, tangled up in what appears to be a fine silken fishing net. His wings are all knotted with thread, feathers sticking up at weird angles. He just looks unhappy to be in the situation. Virgil is cowering near the couch, black ears almost invisible where they’ve flattened into his hair, tail thrashing wildly. Patton is hovering near the ceiling, transparent enough that Logan can see clear through him. 

“What happened here?” he repeats, raising an eyebrow much the way one might at an unruly child who has destroyed a potted plant. 

Virgil whines, tail sliding between his legs. “We - uh - um - well . . .”

“We were trying to prank you!” Roman blurts out. “But we fucked it up -”

“Language!” 

“And now I’m fucking stuck -”

“_Language!_”

“And Patton can’t help me and if Virgil tries to cut through the net he’ll cut _ me _ and I _ really need your help, Lo!_”

Logan deadpans them all. “Are you quite certain that the three of you are my romantic partners? Because I suspect that you may actually be kindergarteners instead.” 

“Don’t tease me!” Roman says, eyes wide and pitiful. “Lo, please, please help me?” 

“The things I do for love,” Logan groans. 

He still spends two hours detangling Roman from the net, and another hour preening his feathers. He does love them, after all. 


	13. day thirteen: costume party (mox!dad!au)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it’s been a wild ride, everybody! i hope you enjoyed it!!  
cw: brief mention of alcohol, sympathetic deceit (his name is dolos), romantic roceit  
thomas is 20, roman is 17, logan is 15

“Are you certain that I am putting this on correctly?” Logan says, picking up his cell phone and twisting it around to see his brother’s face. Thomas smiles, waving at him from the blurry screen of the FaceTime. 

“_Yes, Logan, you’ve drawn the lightning bolt correctly. You’re fine._” 

“I am nervous,” Logan says. “This is the first time I have dressed up as part of a group for Halloween before, and I do not wish to mess it up.”

“_Lo, what are you talking about? You and me and Ro have had group costumes before._” 

“Yes, but I mean - I - um . . .” 

“_It’s your first time dressing up as a group with your partners?_” 

Logan blushes. “I . . .”

“_Lo, it’s okay to be nervous about that. You love them, don’t you?_”

“It does not fall under the traditional definition of love -”

“_But you love them. And you want them to be happy with you, don’t you?_”

“Yes . . .”

“_ t will be alright, Lo. I promise, they’re not gonna hate you_.” 

Logan sighs, pulling his robe on. “Thank you, Thomas. This truly does make me feel better about my predicament.” 

“_No problem. Have fun at the dance, okay? And whatever you do, don’t drink the punch. Someone _ always _ finds a way to spike it, I promise you._” 

Logan smiles, waving at his brother as the call ends. He makes sure that every single aspect of his costume is perfectly in place before hurrying downstairs when Roman shouts impatiently at him. His brother is expertly regaled in a flowing gown, makeup done “on point” (as the children say) and tapping his heeled foot impatiently. 

“My prince is waiting, Logan! And so are the other parts of your trio! We gotta _ go_, we’re gonna be late for the dance!” 

“We will not be late, Roman. You are exaggerating.” 

Roman rolls his eyes, pulling Logan out into the driveway. Patton is standing in front of the car with a camera in his hands. “You forgot that Dad’s gonna want three million thousand pictures, Logan.”

Logan exhales, but lets Patton take the photos anyway. 

When they arrive at the high school, they find Dolos, Emile, and Remy all waiting for them. Dolos is decked out as a prince in regalia matching Roman’s finery, with makeup that even Logan can recognize is impressive. He bows low, holding a hand out for Roman. “My princess.” 

“My prince!” Roman giggles, extending a gloved hand to take Dolos’s. Emile is bouncing up and down in his Hermione outfit, eagerly holding onto Remy’s arm. Remy has a shockingly orange wig on, matched with his signature sunglasses even though it’s pitch black outside. 

“Our Chosen One,” Remy hums, taking Logan’s hand and leaning in to nuzzle his cheek. “Ready for the costume dance?” 

Logan nods. “Absolutely.” 

(Logan, Emile, and Remy end up winning the costume contest. Dolos and Roman make a close second, and they all celebrate with pizza afterwards.) 

**Author's Note:**

> come scream at me on tumblr!! // [@teacupfulofstarshine](https://teacupfulofstarshine.tumblr.com)


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